7 Reasons to Stay Away from Agave

One of my closest friends—a smart, health-conscious, exercise enthusiast—recently texted me questions about alternative sweeteners while she was planning to create a healthy dessert for a birthday dinner party.

“What about agave?” she texted me.

“No! The Worst!” I text-replied.

She was perplexed.

“Is agave low-glycemic or not?” she text-quizzed me.

“It doesn’t matter,” I answered.

“High in fructose…. Will send you articles soon.”

[shareable cite=”Connie Bennett, Author, Sugar Shock “]Stay away from agave, because it’s very high in fructose… maybe even more than high fructose corn syrup. [/shareable]

My friend’s questions alerted me that it was time to do another Sugar Shock Blog post to Clear the Agave Confusion and to warn people that it’s not safe.

Over the years, I’ve repeatedly tried alerted people to agave’s dangers.

Agave is a non-GRAS (Not Generally Recognized Safe) product that is essentially highly refined fructose, which is metabolized in your body like high fructose corn syrup (HFCS).

Agave has “twice the intensity and sweetness of high-fructose corn syrup,” according to food and beverage formulator Russ Bianchi.

Over-consuming fructose — and hence, agave — has been linked with a host of health ailments, including heart disease, insulin resistance, cancer, obesity, metabolic syndrome, fatty-liver disease, and weight gain, topics I addressed in this this episode of my Gab with the Gurus Show.

Agave may be worse for you than high fructose corn syrup (HFCS) because it’s so high in fructose.

Agave may not be from the Mexican cactus plant, according to experts, because there’s been a shortage of blue agave, which is also used to make tequila.

High fructose corn syrup may be added to agave or even swapped for it, according to observers.

In short, agave is one the sweetener that has most often duped many in the health food industry. (Darn, on many occasions over the years, I’ve had to turn down desserts or not buy them, because they added agave.)

Yes, as my friend pointed out, agave nectar has a low-glycemic index, and it’s that fact, which leads many consumers to erroneously believe that it’s healthy. But that low-GI figure is because agave s primarily composed of fructose, as in the substance you find in high-fructose corn syrup.

[shareable cite=”Connie Bennett, Author, Sugar Shock and Beyond Sugar Shock”]Yes, agave is low on the glycemic index, but that doesn’t make it healthy.[/shareable]

Fortunately, in recent years, the word has been spreading about agave’s dangers, unlike in December 2006, when I raised questions about the sweetener in my book, Sugar Shock! At the time, I was one of a handful of people speaking out about agave’s safety.

Thankfully, though, in recent years, a number of other health experts have joined me in discussing the dangers of agave.

In March 2008, Julie Deardorff, a Chicago Tribunejournalist I greatly admire, because she’s often ahead of the curve, wrote one of the first articles to raise questions about agave. (Thank you, Julie!)

Then, in his article for Living and Raw Foods, “The Truth about Agave Syrup: Not As Healthy As You May Think,” John Kohler revealed that “those within the industry who I have spoken to at various trade shows… say that some of the agave syrup is “watered down” with corn syrup before it is exported to the USA.” This is done, he explains, because agave syrup is expensive and high fructose corn syrup is cheap. (He was reiterating what I’d d heard before but hadn’t published yet because I hadn’t found additional verification.)

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2 thoughts on “7 Reasons to Stay Away from Agave”

Thanks Connie but does that mean even if the label says its 100% Blue Agave, “organic, low-glycemic” it’s still not okay? Are there no “better brands”? I have a lot from Costco and hate to throw it away. And would love to know what you think of alternatives like Yacon syrup and coconut nectar.

Betsy,
Your agave may be organic and low-glycemic, which is why you’ve been duped. Sorry, but I’d recommend tossing out your agave. I’m not a fan of the other sweeteners you suggested either. Stay tuned for more detailed replies to your question.